Other 90's Animated Shows We Want Back

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"Batman: The Animated Series" (Fox, 1992-1995): The series that launched the current DC Animated universe is still arguably the best superhero series (animation or live action) ever made. We'd love to see show masterminds Paul Dini and Bruce Timm revisit that version of the character in an all-new animated series.

"Mission Hill" (The WB, 1999-2000): Delivering 20-something angst as only the '90s could, "Mission Hill" didn't fit The WB's tween-friendly demographic back then. But we're betting that a 12-years-later spinoff would appeal to the now 30-something slackers that missed it the first time around.

"Cowboy Bebop" (1998-1999 in Japan; first broadcast in the U.S. in 2001): A terrific mashup of science fiction and Western genre elements to a jazzy beat, this influential anime series ran for only 26 episodes, plus a movie. The show's creators don't seem especially eager to revisit it anytime soon, but we're hoping that, like Mike Judge, they'll be persuaded to bring the "Bebop" out of deep-space storage in the not-too-distant future.

"Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" (Comedy Central, 1995-1999): The Squigglevision-enhanced animated visuals weren't for everyone, but Dr. Katz's (voiced by comedian Jonathan Katz) rap sessions with fellow comics (everyone from David Cross to Ray Romano dropped by his office) were hilarious and thoughtful. The show seems like an obvious forerunner to the current hot spot for comics to dish about their feelings: the terrific WTF podcast hosted by Marc Maron (who guested on "Dr. Katz" himself back in the day).

"Aeon Flux" (MTV, 1991-1992; 1995): Sure, the live-action movie stunk, but there's still plenty of creative life left in the adventures of this futuristic warrior woman. It helps that the series deliberately avoids anything in the way of traditional continuity -- literally anything can happen to Aeon in every episode, up to and including her death and unexplained resurrection.

"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (Cartoon Network, 1994-2004): True, this hilarious animated talk show hosted by the Hanna-Barbera intergalactic superhero was resurrected in 2006 for a Web-only series. But those episodes were only five minutes apiece; we want the whole half-hour version back. Maybe Comedy Central could pick it up and run it at midnight following its Stewart/Colbert power hour.

"The Ren & Stimpy Show" (Nickelodeon, 1991-1996): We're not talking about the later, sanitized episodes -- we want John Kricfalusi's demented vision back on the air without any network interference. Although it debuted on Nickelodeon, it was always obvious that "Ren & Stimpy" wasn't the right fit for the kid-oriented network. Stick it into the Adult Swim lineup -- or, better yet, on a pay cable channel like HBO or Showtime.

"The Critic" (ABC, 1994; Fox, 1995): Admit it -- you've totally come out of a big-budget Hollywood disaster like "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and let loose with a loud, "It stinks!" Plus, it inspired one of the best "Simpsons" episodes ever and had a great vocal cast, led by Jon Lovitz.

"Daria" (MTV, 1997-2002): With Beavis and Butt-head back on the scene, their hilariously sarcastic female foil can't be far behind. We'd love to see an older, wiser, and still sardonic Daria navigating life after high school. We're betting she moved to Williamsburg, got a job walking dogs for rich Park Slope yuppies, and eats breakfast every morning at the "2 Broke Girls" diner.

Bust out your Hypercolor tees and slap bracelets! MTV has brought back those paragons of '90s pop culture, "Beavis and Butt-head," for a batch of all-new episodes overseen by Mike Judge himself. Naturally, the return of these two bumbling, mumbling metalheads put us in a nostalgic frame of mind for some of that era's other animated series that were pitched at a slightly older audience than, say, "Doug" or "Animaniacs." If "Beavis and Butt-head" can make a comeback two decades after its heyday, why can't these shows?

Comments

Automatic vote for slotting Batman: The Animated Series at number 1. And I'd vote twice if I could for stressing that it's arguably the best comic world ever brought to life on screen, animated or otherwise.